


Behind the make up

by ArthurFlecksGirl



Category: Joker (2019)
Genre: Angst, Clowns, F/M, Fluff, Love, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:35:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24077602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArthurFlecksGirl/pseuds/ArthurFlecksGirl
Summary: This is Meeting Carnival part two but it can also be read as a stand alone story.Part one: You watched Carnival dancing on the streets and saved him after he got beaten up by a bunch of kids. You took him home to take care of his wounds and fell in love with him. Carnival asked you if you want to dress up as a clown to and dance on the streets with him.Part two: He wants to intruduce you to his work mates and his mum.But the thing you are most excited about, is to get to see him without his clown make up for the first time.
Relationships: Arthur Fleck/You
Kudos: 5





	Behind the make up

After Carnival and I spent the whole day on te streets together, dancing to childrens songs he taught me how to make baloon animals and some of his magic tricks. His fave was a magic wand with big, colorful flowers popping out. Spending time with him filled my heart with joy. He seemed to be so different from all the people I have met in my life. Carni was still a child at heart, looking at the world from a different kind of view, even I wasnt capable of anymore.  
When the sun was about to go down, we packed our stuff and he asked me if I wanted to meet his workmates. O course I said yes. I wanted to learn more about his life. About him. Half an hour later I found myself at HaHas. A place for hired clowns that worked at childrens hospitals, birthday parties, on the street,... Every possible situation to make someones day a little bit brighter.  
“Here we are” we walked down some strairs. I noticed a nervous look on his face while he knocked on the door. “They will like you very much. I just know it.” he grinned. But his face froze, as soon as the door opened. He let go of my hand.  
“Arthur! Where the fuck have you been yesterday? You`d said you`ll come back in the afternoon!”  
“Hello Hoyt” he looked down . Playing with his hands. “I`m… I`m very sorry.. Belive me I am” Hoyts eyes kept switching back and forth between me and him. His look made me feel like I am wasnt very welcomed here. “There…there w-was a reason I couldnt come in the afternoon.” Hoyt leans against the door “So? I`m listening?” Arthur taking my hand again “This is Y/N. She saved me from a bunch of kids yeterday. They stole my sign and kicked me so hard I could barely walk. She took me home with her and cleaned my wounds..."  
“Arthur. Listen.” an annoyed look on Hoyts face. “I am sick of your made up stories. Its a good thing to have a strong imagination but I`m not sure about yours. Are you pissing me off again?”  
Arthur swallowed hard. I looked at him, trying to think of something that could help him in this uncomfortable situation.  
“I…no I dont want to piss anyone off. You know that I try to do my best, Hoyt”  
“Arthur. I really think you need help. Getting beaten down by kids for a fucking sign. Do you belive that shit yourself? Come on….you don`t really think that I am going to buy the story , don`t you?”  
I tried to make eye contact with his boss. Which was difficult because he was so focused on Carnival, it was hard to get his attention. “Mr. Hoyt. Do you mind me say something?" Hoyt gave Carnival one last angry look before he looked me in the face "What?". "Everthing he says is true. I am a wittness. I watched him doing his little dances on the street and I SAW the teenagers stealing his sign with my own eyes. He followed them to get the sign back and got beaten up in an alley. I found him breathless and hurt. So I took him home with me to take care of his wounds".  
"Well....the sign is still gone, isnt it? "the grey haired man took a deep breath “Look, I have to pay you less now. Art, you know that, right”. Carnival was just standing there beside me, his arms hanging down on him. So hopeless.  
A moment later a big, tall guy appeared in the doorframe. “Art, come on in, I just heard about your story from the other side of the room.” he laughed. “So you finally getting it on with a girl, huh? ” more laughter in the background. “Oh yeah, poor girl who has to deal with him though” says another voice. We walked into the room which was filled with mirrors, make up tables and some guys in clown clothes. Carnival looked disappointed. The big guy stopped talking for a moment when he realized I was there. He was so big Arthur almost looked like a kid standing next to him. “Oh so he was talking about you? I see. Sorry. We`re just like to make jokes. Obviously!” he took a red clown nose out of his pockets and put it on. I nodded while Carnival wasnt even moving. He seemed so intimitated by those guys.  
Hoyt left the room and headed to his office. Still mumbling to himself.“So you are Arthurs girlfriend right?Are you sure he is even into girls, I never saw him with one ” laughter all across the room. "She is special"I heard Carni say in his little voice.  
“Oh pal. A girl. I am proud of you” his worksmate voice sounded ironic as he leaned over to me “How did he even managed to find a girl like you? He barely leaves the house when he isnt working. ”I gave him a look. “Oh dont get me wrong. I´m happy for my boy. I just hope you will stay. He is a real pain in the ass sometimes.” "I will. Arthur is a wonderful guy"  
Carni wrapped his hands around my back and pulled me closer to him. Randall walked to the mirror, grabbing some stuff “Yeah, sure. Whatever”.  
I felt Carnivals wig tickeling my face as he kissed me on the cheek and lead me to his make up table “Nevermind those guys...Look, thats where I usually get ready for work. So much more stuff than I have at home. We got so many brushes and colors and stuff to blend it all together. Hair dye... well I use my wig but still. I thought about dying it green some day actually.” I checked all the stuff on the table. It was a huge, beautiful collection. "Green hair would look hot on you" I said. He giggled "You just called me hot". I was glad I had white face paint all over my cheeks as I felt myself blushing "Yeah I think I did. Because you are". I touched a single strain of his hair that was peaking out on the side of his wig "You`re curls are adorable. They would look real good in green. You have really great hair." Carnival chuckled in his high voice.  
“Arthur, hey” a very, very little guy, maybe half the size of Arthur walks towards us. He has a honest looking smile on his face. So much different from the other ones in this room. “I just heard that you have a girlfriend now. I`m happy for you” he said while he shook my hand. “Hello Lady. Welcome to HaHas. I am Gary.Make yourself at home.” I felt some relief now that there was someone nice around and sat down at the make up table while Carnival disappeared into Hoyts office for a moment.   
The little guy pointed at Hoyts door "Hopefully he won`t lose his job. Its not the first time Hoyt is yelling at him like that." I touched the brushes lying around "Why is it?" Gary shrugged "Well...Artthur`s got some problems. I don`t wanna say anything. I guess he will tell you when he is ready. You guys just met yesterday , right?" I looked the door. "Yeah". "Don`get me wrong. He is a great guy. I really like him. But most people don`t understand how his mind works. Thats why he makes a perfect victim to guys like Randall. They like picking on him a lot." I nooded, wondering about what Gary really wanted to tell me. But I felt like it was the wrong way to find out. Whatever was up with Arthur, I guess he would tell me anytime soon. We just met and even though I was in love with him, he was still a stranger to me.   
"Anyway Y/N Ireally hope the two of us will have a great time together. God knows that Art does deserve someone who understands him. Fingers crossed that you are the one". " "Thank you so much, Gary. I´m glad that Arthur has at least one friend at work." Gary smiled "Yeah. I mean, I guess we`re buddies in some way. I`m not sure if Arthur lets anyone close enough to call him his friend. He`s a bit of a loner. But one of a kind. Just look after him ,okay? Maybe you`re lucky enough and he lets you get close enough to seek your help." "Thank you, Gary. I really appriciate this. I will. Can I ask you something?" The little man nodded. "When I found him beaten up on the ground it looked like he wasnt even trying to fight back. I mean...I know it was like 5 teenagers all at one, but still. He was just lying there, waiting for it to be over. Does that happen a lot? Him getting hit by people?" Gary shook his head "I dont know to be honest...I saw his bruises two weeks ago. real bad ones. So I guess it wasnt te first time. And he isnt someone who would fight back. He`s a little wallflower, you know? But you`re right. He should stand up for himself more often. I dont know why he doesn`t".   
The conversation stopped immediately as Hoyts office door opened and Carnival came out. He walked up to his locker to get his brown paper bag "Are you ready to go home Y/N?" I stood up, said goodbye to Gary and we headed out the door.   
I grabbed his hand as we walked down the street "The other guys didnt even said goodbye." "They never do..." Carnivals voice sounded a bit deeper now. Like he forgot about his clown voice. "   
I´m so sorry your boss was mad at you. I felt like it was all my fault because he was annoyed about the fact that you brought me with you” “No, it wasnt. He is just being Hoyt. He would always find a reason to be mad at me.I have to apologise. Those guys…. they are aweful. Everyone of em besides Gary. I dont know what I was thinking to actually belive they could be happy for me or being nice to you”. He sighed deeply. “They are only making fun of me.” I touch his shoulder “Oh, dont worry about that. Just forget about it. I only wish they would treat you better instead of mocking you”. We crossed the street. “Well, there is nothing special about that. Everyone does”. I sqeezed his hand "You dont need those kinda people in your life. You deserve so much more, Carnival".  
He put one finger inside his wig and started to scratch his head. "Hey Y/N... I was thinking about intrudiúcing you to my mother. I know i said it wasnt a good idea yesterday but... I could be wrong about this. I really she should know about you as soon as possible. So you can visit my place and all."  
I awas getting really excited about the fact that he wanted to intruduce me to his mother. “Of course. I would love to get to know her”.   
“Great, I´m sure she will be happy for me. She`s not like the guys at HaHas at all.”  
We soon arrived at Anderson avenue. His posture changed immediately as he turned the keys and opened the door. He looked intimitated again. Like he was afraid to get home. "Mum?" he was yellin. "Mum are you awake?"  
"Happy?" a voice coming from the bedroom. "C`mon Y/N " he took my hand again "Let me intruduce you to her."  
“Hey mum, how are you doing?” Penny tried to sit up “Happy, I waited for you to come home. Where were you yesterday? You came home so late! I was looking for you but you weren`t lying on the couch. So I looked in the fridge and.... nothing!"  
I realized that his mother must have been very confused, telling him that she was looking for him in the fridge but I tried not to let it show when she looked at me“You have a girl with you?” Arthur smiles under his fake smile. Two big smiles. “Mother, this is …” he looksed at me, kinda nervous “…this is Y/Y. She is a very nice girl. You will like her a lot”. Penny is shaking my hand “Y/N. Hello dear!” “Nice to meet you Ms. Fleck. You got a very lovely son.” Penny grabs her magazine, reading in it for a second, then looking at us again. “He`s a good boy. Maybe a little sad sometimes. Maybe a little difficult to handle. But a good boy.” Arthur opens his bag and hands her a paper bag with cookies “ Some of your favorite cookies, ma”. “Thats very nice of you, Happy.”  
Happy. She called him Happy . I dont know why but i felt like he didnt felt comfortable about it.  
Penny looks like she has been through a lot. “How did you get to know each other” she asks looking at me “Happy is barely leaving the house, except for going to work and to the pharmacy.” He stroke the back of my hand with his finger "She helped me out of a bad situation yesterday." “Thats great” penny ate one of the cookies, not even asking what kinda situation he was in. “As I said, he`s a good boy”.   
"Mum, sorry again for coming home late yesterday but as I said, I was with her all the time"Penny stopped eating “Happy. Do you think you can handle this?” he looked uncomfortable. “What do you mean?” “I mean…” she leaned over to him, thinking I couldnt hear what she was whispering “You never met with a girl before. She doesnt know about your… condition. She will think you`re weird when she finds out.” “Oh don´t you worry about it, mum. I will tell her” he is talking, not whispering. Penny looking at me again “Really?”. There is something odd about the whole situation. I started to feel a lil uncomfy. It felt like he is treating him like he cannot make desicions on his own. “I really hope you can see that he`s a good boy” that smile on her face. “Even if he isnt as funny as he thinks he is. ” This hit me real hard. I cannot help but looking at his face after she said those words. "Well mum, you gotta rest now. get some sleep, okay. Would you mind Y/N to sleep over here tonight? We want to watch movies together". Penny was focused on the tv now "Whatever" she replied.  
We left the bedroom, closed the door and sat down on the couch. “Yeah…well. That was my mum” . “She seems to be a nice lady” “Mmmhh” he lit a cigarette .   
"Y/N....I know that you got some hints from my mum and Gary...about my....condition.." a serious look upon his face "What did Gary tell you?"  
"Oh...nothing really. Just that you have a hard time with other people and most of them cant understand you. But Carni, belive me. I will. I have this feeling deep inside of me...that we are meant to be together".  
And then he told me about his laughing condition and the fact that he was on seven different medications that should help him with insomnia and mental issues. He was so afraid that I might get scared, his eyes started watering. I wiped the tear away and told him that I would help him as much as I could.  
"Even your tear is beautiful Carni..." I whispered.   
"I love the way you c-call me Carni" he stuttered.  
"I would like to see Arthur now" my lips close to his ears ashe put down his cig. "Do you want to get the make up off for me?"  
"Yeah....there are make up wipes in my bag"  
I put my hand in his brownpaper bag and got some wipes, taking a close look to the area I started to expose. "Close your eyes, Arthur" I whispered as I wiped his closed eyes. White and blue melting into one another, before the first part of his real skin color was coming through. I kissed the small wrinkles around his eyes after they got exposed. Tasting the flavor of the make up wipes on my lips. The flavor of the make up.   
"This stuff tastes bitter. Doesnt it?" he smiled.  
I took another one and continued "I wanna know how your bare skin tastes like". With every inch that was getting exposed I could see the entire beautiy of his face for the first time and it almost braight tears to my eyes,too. I let my thumb wander across the bare parts of his pefectly shaved , soft skin.   
Over his lips.... those kissable lips...  
The more red came off, the more visible became a unique scar on his upper lip. I kissed it, feeling his lips forming a smile as I let my tongue slide over his beauty mark.  
"You are so beautuful, Arthur. inside and out" I took of Carnivals wig with one hand, whiping his chin free with the other. His brown curls sticking to his neck.   
"You really think I´m beautiful?"  
I removed the makeup from his well defined chin "Oh god, yes you are. You have no idea."  
"So as you" he hummed, opening his eyes. Piercing me in a way that send shivers down my spine.  
Once his face was compleately free of make up. I took a close lok at all the details.  
" I never loved anything more in my entire life, as looking at you. I just want to look at you forever."  
Arthur smiled as I stroke his hair.  
"I would love to have your eyes on me forever" he whispered.  
I held his face between my hands "Now let me have a taste without the face paint" I said, kissing every inch of his face. His closed eyelids, his dark eyebrows, that had still a little blue on them. The tip of his nose. I kissed the corner of his lips, his neck, the wrinkles on his forehead. Every pore.   
"You make me feel so loved" he muttered.  
"Thats because you are" I said before he kissed me passionately, knowing that his life was about to chance.


End file.
